Monica Lewinsky made a rare public appearance Thursday
at a
TED talk to discuss her scandalous past in an attempt to promote her
fight against cyber-bullying. The 41-year-old announced her campaign
to end online bullying at a Forbes Under 30 summit in Philadelphia last year.
It was the first time the public had seen the former White House intern after she stayed
out of the spotlight for over a decade.

Monica has recently emerged back in the public eye to support her anti-bullying campaign Photo: Getty Images

Her appearance back in the public eye
came with some criticism, as people believed it was for political reasons. But Monica defended herself saying, "It is time to stop tip-toeing around my
past." She then went on to openly discuss the humiliation she faced after
her sex scandal involving former President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Hillary Clinton and Bill have stood by each other Photo: Getty Images

She talked about being 22 years old when
she fell in love with the President, and, of course, the media storm that
followed after their relationship was made public. The scandal took on a new
form with the internet boom. "This scandal was brought to you by the
digital revolution," Monica said. "This rush to judgment enabled by
technology led to mobs of virtual stone throwers. I was branded as a tramp,
tart, slut, whore, bimbo, and, of course, 'that woman'."

Monica was a White House intern when she met the President Photo: Getty Images

Aside from her own involvement with
being criticized on the internet, Monica was motivated to start her campaign after
hearing about the 2010 suicide of an 18-year-old New Jersey freshman who was
bullied online after being secretly filmed kissing another man.

"The landscape has become much more
populated with incidents like mine, and now it is for public and private
people," she said. "Millions of people, often anonymously, can stab
you with their words. And that is a lot of pain."

A media storm followed the revelation that the President had an affair Photo: Getty Images

She also brought up the numerous photo
and information leaks of politicians and celebrities, discussing how the public
is actively consuming it. "A marketplace has emerged when public
humiliation is a commodity and shame is an industry," Monica said.
"The more shame, the more clicks. The more clicks, the more advertising
dollars." She urged an end to "shaming as a blood sport" and
added, "Imagine walking a mile in someone else's headline."

Bill Clinton was criticized after his affair was made public Photo: Getty Images

After news of the affair broke, Clinton
was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 1998 but was
acquitted. His wife Hillary, a former Secretary of State widely tipped to run
for president in 2016, says she has "moved on" from the scandal.